Pride and Prejudice Essay: Literary Criticism
Lackadaisical Love in Longbourn
When asking typical child who their hero or heroine is, a common answer would be Superman, Batman, or Cat Woman. To these kids, a hero is defined as someone with extraordinary physical strength and the bravery to fight any villain, such as the Joker, without any personal benefit or reward. Although their view of a hero is very childish and uninformed, they are in a way correct. Although a hero may not always need to physically battle villains, they must have emotional strength, bravery, and perseverance to overcome whatever troubles their respective villain brings forward. In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, author Jane Austen portrays her view of heroes, heroines, and villains in a satirically love story. Andrew H. Wright has written a literary criticism essay, titled “Heroines, Heroes, and Villains in Pride and Prejudice”, in which he states his opinion of Austen’s purpose. Although critic Andrew H. Wright states that some people are simply destined to be heroes, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen features characters that are capable of overcoming their own weaknesses that rise as heroes due to their own perseverance and those who interfere with a potential-hero’s progress become villains.
Although Andrew H. Wright dismisses this key point Austen makes, Pride and Prejudice introduces characters that are able to overcome their own flaws that rise as heroes. First off, Wright states how he believes Elizabeth to be the heroine of the story. In the first paragraph he quickly states: “Elizabeth is definitely the heroine: not only does she explicitly represent one of the words of the title of the story; she quite thoroughly dominates the action” (Wright 97). Wright misinterprets the reason that Elizabeth is a heroine. It’s true that Elizabeth dominates the action throughout, though that is only a result of being the main character. By no means is her development as a character influenced by the number of mentions she receives in the
When asking typical child who their hero or heroine is, a common answer would be Superman, Batman, or Cat Woman. To these kids, a hero is defined as someone with extraordinary physical strength and the bravery to fight any villain, such as the Joker, without any personal benefit or reward. Although their view of a hero is very childish and uninformed, they are in a way correct. Although a hero may not always need to physically battle villains, they must have emotional strength, bravery, and perseverance to overcome whatever troubles their respective villain brings forward. In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, author Jane Austen portrays her view of heroes, heroines, and villains in a satirically love story. Andrew H. Wright has written a literary criticism essay, titled “Heroines, Heroes, and Villains in Pride and Prejudice”, in which he states his opinion of Austen’s purpose. Although critic Andrew H. Wright states that some people are simply destined to be heroes, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen features characters that are capable of overcoming their own weaknesses that rise as heroes due to their own perseverance and those who interfere with a potential-hero’s progress become villains.
Although Andrew H. Wright dismisses this key point Austen makes, Pride and Prejudice introduces characters that are able to overcome their own flaws that rise as heroes. First off, Wright states how he believes Elizabeth to be the heroine of the story. In the first paragraph he quickly states: “Elizabeth is definitely the heroine: not only does she explicitly represent one of the words of the title of the story; she quite thoroughly dominates the action” (Wright 97). Wright misinterprets the reason that Elizabeth is a heroine. It’s true that Elizabeth dominates the action throughout, though that is only a result of being the main character. By no means is her development as a character influenced by the number of mentions she receives in the
Cited: Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: Penguin, 2003. Print. Wright, Andrew H. "Heroines, Heroes, and Villains in Pride and Prejudice." Jane Austen 's Novels, A Study in Structure (1961): 97-110. Print.